Hold Your Own Professional Learning Conference
Hosting your own professional learning conference saves money, but its true value cannot be measured in dollars and cents. 
By Philip M. Brown

<P><H1>Hold Your Own Professional Learning Conference</H1>
<P>By Philip M. Brown
<P>Most principals have paid hundreds of dollars to send some teachers to a conference for three days only to have it appear as if nothing changed with regards to instruction and improvement. Few principals would argue with the fact that professional learning can be a costly and time-consuming venture. But professional learning is also vital in improving instruction, changing the climate and culture of a school, and increasing student achievement. How can school leaders provide opportunities for professional learning that is relevant and purposeful but that also directly improves the quality of instruction and increases student achievement? The question raises a number of different issues at the school level, but ultimately, a successful school starts with a quality school improvement plan that has the support of teachers and an excellent professional development plan that aligns with the mission and vision of the school.
<P>As a new principal, I charged the leadership team--composed of teachers, administrators, counselors, the media specialist, and a secretary--with leading the school improvement process and evaluating our needs for professional learning. As a start, the team compiled a school improvement plan with input from the teachers, staff members, and stakeholders. Then team members looked at possible professional learning opportunities that would help us reach our school and content goals. 
<P>It was apparent that we could not afford to go to every conference that we listed or bring in every great speaker. But in the process of the discussion, the leadership team realized that we had experts at the school level who could address our improvement goals. Therefore, the faculty and staff members decided to designate one of our professional learning days as an in-house professional learning conference. We did not invite any educational consultants to speak; instead, our teachers designed presentations, seminars, and lectures to deliver to their colleagues in conference-style presentations. 
<P>The challenging part of the professional learning conference was the planning. We decided to have four time slots with five presentations during each time slot. That gave us a total of 20 presentations over the course of the day. The topics of the presentations included technology integration with classroom response systems, useful graphic organizers and foldables, Microsoft Word and PowerPoint, purposeful pacing guides and benchmark assessments, Web quests, reading and writing strategies, quality individualized education plans, classroom management, and student motivation. After the sessions and times were set, the leadership team developed a flyer to showcase the different sessions and promote the event to the staff. On the flyer, we included information about each session, identified the presenter, and stated the location and time of the session.
<P>In addition, I held a town hall meeting during the professional learning conference to discuss the schools progress toward its school improvement goals. As a staff, we had an opportunity to discuss the many positive characteristics of our school and our school needs. I mostly sat and listened to the concerns of the faculty and staff members, so I was able to make improvements on the basis of their feedback.
<P>The conference provided a professional learning opportunity for the entire staff. The benefits of the in-house professional learning conference were numerous. 
<UL><LI>The professional learning was differentiated on the basis of interest as well as need. Professional development with teachers must be differentiated in the same way that lessons with students must be differentiated. For example, the professional learning plan for a 25-year veteran should not look exactly like the plan for a second-year teacher. </LI>
<LI>Much of the success of the conference was due to the variety of offerings. The range of presentations allowed staff members to gain a great deal of information in a short period of time. If we had tried to schedule an entire faculty meeting for every topic that was presented at the conference, we would have spent the next five years on the list of topics. </LI>
<LI>Teachers had an opportunity to learn from their peers. This conference was collaboration at its best. Each teacher had the autonomy to decide what sessions to attend. At the end of the conference, it was extremely rewarding to hear teachers complimenting their peers as well as staying late on a Friday afternoon to continue discussions. </LI>
<LI>The conference helped develop leadership capacity within the building. School administrators are always in need of teacher leaders. By opening up the conference for anyone to present, the leadership team gave teachers the opportunity to step forward and share ideas with their colleagues. </LI>
<LI>Weve all gone back to school to implement the strategies we learned at a conference session. What happens when we forget one of the little details about the presentation, and it leads to the lesson being a bust? As a teacher, I would always scratch the lesson and hope to hear the speaker at another conference soon. With this professional learning conference, all of the presenters were in the building, which allowed teachers to ask questions on the topic throughout the year. This builds professional dialogue among staff members and does a great deal to promote collaboration and teamwork. </LI>
<LI>Part of being a successful school is having confident and competent faculty and staff members. This professional learning allowed the staff to see a different side of some of their colleagues. For the first time, they realized the amount of talent and expertise that we have on staff. When staff members have a great deal of confidence, they are more willing to take risks and move forward on a number of different issues. After this professional learning conference, we had teachers stepping out of their comfort zones and reaching for new heights.</LI></UL>
<P>At the conclusion of the conference, the leadership team asked for anonymous feedback to gauge the effectiveness of the professional learning. The responses included "the best professional day ever," "Super! Super!" and "Awesome presentations and such a great use of time!" It was clear from the responses that our teachers were engaged and enjoyed the professional learning opportunity. The leadership team did not receive one negative comment about the event, and the team is ready to organize the next conference. So if you are looking for a great professional development opportunity to increase student achievement, expand the knowledge base of a staff, boost morale, and create a culture of learning, then start planning your own professional learning conference.
<P><B>Philip M. Brown</B> <I>(<a href="mailto: pbrown@oconee.k12.ga.us">pbrown@oconee.k12.ga.us</a>) is the principal at Oconee County Middle School in Watkinsville, GA, and a former math and science teacher.</I> 
